Welcome to the series of Posts from Your Archives, where bloggers put their trust in me. In this series, I dive into a blogger’s archives and select four posts to share here to my audience.
This is the second post of Debbie the DogLady who lives in Toronto, Canada and posts about travel, music, life and of course dogs. I have chosen four of her dog sitting adventures to share with you and in this post we meet J.J. The Dalmatian who sounds quite the character.
Prologue…
Dogs have always been part of my life; a love passed down from generation to generation. Protracted unemployment in the early 90s required some creativity. Thus, my pet care business was born. This is a continuing series.
(Click HERE for more chapters)
J.J. the Dalmatian came into my life for a brief couple of years.
His antics earned him the nickname “Brat Prince” and a special place in my heart.
J.J.’s “Dad”, Bob, was a very busy man, juggling a public relations firm with a young family and a cat. Whatever made him decide to add a Dalmatian into the mix? He obviously had little understanding of the breed and opted to keep J.J. confined to a crate for much of the day, (because he tormented the cat). You just DON’T put a Dalmatian in a cage and expect life to be hunky dory once he’s let loose! No surprise that J.J. would run amok.
These are intelligent, high energy dogs who need an outlet. I kept my disapproval to myself and accepted J.J. as a houseguest with much trepidation. Hopefully, my own Dalmatian, Tasha, would keep him in line. Before he arrived, shoes and other “chewables” were hidden or put out of reach, just in case.
All went well the first week. There was a daily “playgroup” for dogs at the neighbouring schoolyard and J.J. got plenty of exercise, chasing around with the others.
We loved having two Dalmatians together and it was quite a sight. Tasha at one end of the couch and J.J. at the other, performing their nightly, synchronized cleaning ritual. (This breed is very cat-like.)
Similar to children, dogs are often on their best behaviour in a new environment, until they become more relaxed. This is what happened with J.J., the second week. We had also become a little complacent, assuming he was cured of his destructive bent.
I hurried out of the house one day, leaving a pair of jeans on the bedroom chair. Found them later, on the floor, with the waistband chewed off. J.J. had obviously eaten it! Luckily, this didn’t cause him any gastric upset, but, he was pooping denim for the next few days. We had a couple of similar incidents with forgotten shoes, but it was impossible to stay angry. J.J. was such an adorable clown!
Another time, we had several more canine guests in residence. They were eating dinner when J.J decided he wanted a taste of someone else’s. The dog wouldn’t oblige, so J.J. lifted his leg and peed in the water bowl! We just HOWLED with laughter, all the while trying to scold him. What a statement!
Bob had noticed that when J.J. came home from his vacations, he was much calmer. This prompted him to join the playgroup, two or three times a week. One day, J.J. just bolted! He ran to our house, (halfway down the block), up the front steps and sat there, waiting. Bob made light of it, joking that J.J. wanted another holiday. This continued to happen every time from then on and Bob soon stopped coming. Obviously, J.J. wasn’t so happy at home and wanted to stay with me! Sadly, I never heard from them again.
A few months later, I drove by Bob’s house and there was a “For Sale” sign on the lawn. He had mentioned wanting to sell, in passing, and also admitted that J.J. needed a more suitable home. My hope is that he found one.
©Debbie the Dog Lady 2012
About Debbie
Hello from Toronto!
Thanks for visiting my little corner of the internet. Let me entertain you with memoirs, photos, travelogues, creative writing pieces, music galore and so much more.
I was born in Germany, now living in Canada. My mother was German and my father, Canadian of German descent. They met in 1953, during his first posting to her homeland, following a tour of duty in Korea. This makes me an “Army Brat”.
I speak English, German, some French, a little Italian and a smattering of Spanish. I love music, travel and of course dogs.
Connect to Debbie
Blog: https://thedogladysden.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DebbieDoglady
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/Debbie.D.Writer.Photographer/
My thanks to Debbie for permitting me to share posts from her archives and I hope you will head over to explore them further.. Thanks Sally.
Thank you for sharing J.J,’s story, Sally. He was one of a kind! 💖
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He certainly sounds it Debbie. Friends who have had Dalmations and Red Setters say there is a lovable immaturity about them….xx
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This is a lovely archive share. Thanks, Sally. Tweeting it now 🙂
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Thanks for sharing Harmony..x
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Thank you so much, Harmony! 🌹
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Anytime, Debbie. Best of luck with everything 😊
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Ah. I miss JJ and I’ve never even met him. He sure sounds similar to my grand dog however. He’s famous for eating everything. Got to love him though. All he has to do is show me those sweet little wiggly eyebrows.
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Your comment made me smile, Lisa! 😀 These little devils are so irresistible. ❤
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Sounds lovely Lisa… clearly has you wrapped around his wiggly eyebrows..
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What a delightful story, Debbie. (Great pick, Sally) As a lifelong dog lover, I can’t wait to hear more. Here is a recent post I wrote about my dogs and their love affair with the UPS driver, which I hope you enjoy, Debbie. https://petespringerauthor.wordpress.com/2019/04/26/my-buddies/
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Thank you, Pete. I’m looking forward to reading your story as well! 🙂
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Loved this story. That JJ sure had a lot of attitude, lol. 😉 ❤
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He sure did! 😀 Made him all the more endearing. ❤
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I like a dog with character… ♥
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J.J. sounds like quite a character. (That’ll teach you not to share!)
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He was a loveable brat, for sure! 😀
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I loved this story about JJ. Dogs do know where they are happiest. I could never keep a dog in a cage.
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Me neither Darlene.. and have never had to.. perfectly behaved and when trained over a period of time to be left alone.. no problems. xx
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I’m glad you enjoyed the story, Darlene. 🙂 I’ve never used a cage either. They do work in some situations, like training young puppies, but active dogs should never be confined that way.
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Dalmatians are a delightful and intelligent breed. This well-written post is a testimony to high energy dogs needing consistent training. We’ve always had German shepherds, and the dedication to daily training on a schedule for the first two years ( and then some) has made all the difference in everyone’s quality of life–including both dogs. I think all intelligent breeds love the attention that goes into training. They experience training as a game. Dogs like to please, so it’s a win-win pursuit. With the large-breed dogs, it’s a favor for everyone. The saying is you get the dog you deserve, meaning the onus falls to the owner to take the time to work with the dog. It’s so worth it if you invest in training your dog.
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Totally agree Claire and only have to walk a dog in a park to see those owners who have not invested the time and effort.. arms pulled out of sockets and stress written all over them. xx
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Exactly, Claire! You obviously know a lot about dog behaviour, as well. 🙂 Intelligent, active dogs need exercise and training for everyone to be content. It always amazes me how some owners accept bad behaviour as the norm, rather than correct it.
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